The Mountain They Dug Up
“Two-tenths.”
His gaze was colder than the perennial ice of the North Sea as it sliced sharply across to the other side.
“Hmm.”
A voice so low it seemed to press against the ears.
In answer to that gaze, a deep hum rolled out—heavy enough to make anyone listening hold their breath.
“Five-tenths.”
“……”
A dragon and a tiger.
The eyes of a divine beast and a feral beast met in midair and spat sparks.
The patsy was gone now. What remained was the clash of true masters.
“Young Sect Leader.”
Hwang Jong-ui’s eyes gleamed with an uncharacteristic chill.
“Two-tenths is too little. If you consider the money Eunha Sangdan will be putting in, you must guarantee five-tenths.”
He looked every inch the heir of the Galaxy Merchant Guild—firm, uncompromising, and not easily swayed.
But who was he facing? None other than Chung Myung, the demon who had survived every storm on land and sea, and even fought in the air and underground.
“Investing?”
Chung Myung glared.
“Listen to you, talking like some clueless merchant. Who can’t spend money they already have to make more money? What matters is building a business that can actually turn a profit.”
“But capital is…….”
“Mount Hua has money too.”
Hwang Jong-ui flinched.
“If it really comes to it, we can do it at Mount Hua. We’re doing you the favor of letting Eunha Sangdan in on it out of sheer loyalty, and this is how you act? That’s disappointing.”
It hurt.
Struck in his weak spot, Hwang Jong-ui let out a low groan.
Still, he was the man who effectively ran Eunha Sangdan. He couldn’t back down this easily.
“Even if Mount Hua has funds, it’s not as though you can build a distribution network…….”
“Ah, that’s fine.”
“……Pardon?”
“There’s a very suitable family son loafing around Mount Hua, living off our food for free. He’s not much use himself, but his family’s a pretty big merchant house.”
Chung Myung’s eyes shifted to Jo Gul, seated in the corner. Jo Gul wore a faintly complicated expression as he asked,
“Do you even earn your meals?”
“With what?”
“……Never mind.”
He had plenty to say, but Jo Gul was surprisingly not completely lacking in sense. He knew better than to open his mouth recklessly in a place like this.
“Hmm.”
Hwang Jong-ui’s worries deepened.
Come to think of it, Jo Gul’s family was one of Sichuan’s Ten Great Merchant Houses.
A house of that caliber could build a distribution network just as capable as Eunha Sangdan’s, if not more so.
Confidence was good. Arrogance was not. There was no reason another merchant house couldn’t do what Eunha Sangdan could.
“Or…….”
At that moment, Chung Myung’s eyes flickered wickedly as he spoke again.
“Do you think that if it isn’t Eunha Sangdan, no one else can do business with Mount Hua?”
“W-well, how could that be?”
Hwang Jong-ui quickly waved his hands.
Negotiating was fine, but he couldn’t afford to provoke the man’s temper by being careless. Especially not with that Mount Hua Divine Dragon.
What a venomous bastard.
He was the most reassuring ally imaginable, but if they ever split apart, there was no one more frightening. If he tried to squeeze out a little more and the negotiations collapsed, Eunha Sangdan would be left looking like a dog chasing a chicken it could never catch.
“Ahem. But, Young Sect Leader, as you know, this matter will require dealing with officials and wealthy patrons. In that regard, Eunha Sangdan will be far more useful than any merchant house in Sichuan.”
“That’s why we’re only taking two-tenths.”
Hwang Jong-ui’s hand, gripping his teacup, began to tremble.
We pay for everything, we do all the work, and you want to sit there and pocket eighty percent? How does that make any sense, you mountain bandit of a Taoist!
They would even have to provide the personnel for intermediate hubs and branch offices needed for the work.
By Chung Myung’s logic, Mount Hua was simply going to set up the stage and then sit back to gulp down the money.
He was so furious his stomach turned, so furious the fire in his belly boiled over, but…….
“If you don’t like it, then forget it.”
“W-who said I didn’t like it! Which bastard said such nonsense?”
Hwang Jong-ui shouted in alarm.
Seeing that reaction, Chung Myung bared his teeth in a grin and drove in the final nail.
“Then sign the contract.”
“Grrr……”
The terms were hellish. But this was a lifeline he couldn’t afford to let go of. They had to bite, even if it killed them.
“Hey, why are you making that face? Eunha Sangdan is getting something more valuable than money.”
“……”
Hwang Jong-ui answered with a long sigh instead.
Truthfully, Chung Myung wasn’t wrong. No one knew how large the profits from this would be, but what mattered to Eunha Sangdan wasn’t profit.
This is where we have to make our move.
Up to now, Eunha Sangdan had poured enormous sums into Mount Hua. But the fruit of that investment had so far been eaten whole by Mount Hua alone.
Money doesn’t matter.
What mattered was position.
If they wanted to advance toward becoming the greatest merchant guild under heaven, they had to pursue things other merchant houses could not do—and succeed at them. They had to make the whole world recognize that Eunha Sangdan was different from the rest.
And for that…….
“Fine!”
Hwang Jong-ui nodded firmly.
If they signed a contract under these terms, the big profits would be gone, but for something greater, he could give up money without hesitation.
Only…….
“Krrr! That’s the spirit!”
……it just stung to see that fresh, delighted expression on Chung Myung’s face.
Even so, what could he do? Once you got tangled up with Chung Myung, there was no escaping it.
“But you must make sure to manage the Ghost Sect properly.”
“Ah. Don’t worry about that. We’ll handle it perfectly.”
At his confident words, Hwang Jong-ui nodded and took out the contract. Chung Myung blinked.
“Huh? You prepared it in advance?”
“……Isn’t it better to be certain?”
Letting you draft the contract and then getting stabbed in the back again?
“Tch. You’re thorough, huh!”
Look at that. Just look at that.
He was definitely planning something again.
What kind of world was this, where he trusted a Taoist less than an ordinary commoner? A Taoist, of all people!
Hwang Jong-ui sighed, filled in the percentages on the contract, stamped it, and handed it straight over to Chung Myung.
“Here.”
“Hmm.”
Chung Myung began to read the contract carefully.
So carefully, in fact, that it looked as though he were savoring each character one by one. Hwang Jong-ui’s brow twitched.
“……Young Sect Leader?”
“Hold on. This here, hmm…… on the surface it looks fine, but…….”
This bastard?
Chung Myung paid no mind to Hwang Jong-ui’s twisting face and kept flicking his gaze back and forth between the contract and him, as though checking whether there were any hidden poison clauses lurking inside.
Good heavens.
After everything Mount Hua had taken from them, was he actually saying he suspected Eunha Sangdan? And not just Eunha Sangdan, but a contract prepared personally by the young guild master!
After a long while of peering and checking every line, Chung Myung finally broke into a bright smile and slapped the contract down with a hearty laugh.
“Hahaha. What’s the point of checking something this carefully? Between us?”
“……You’re unbelievable.”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, nothing.”
Hwang Jong-ui put on a bright, professional smile.
In any case, this contract had to be made to happen. Somehow!
“Elder. This looks fine to me.”
“Let me see.”
Hyun Young took the contract with an indifferent expression, as if he didn’t care much one way or the other. Then, just like Chung Myung, he stared through it line by line.
Watching the two of them at work, one might have believed they were grandfather and grandson.
When Hyun Young finished reviewing it, he finally handed the contract to Hyun Jong.
“Sect Leader. You may place your seal here.”
Hyun Jong looked down at the contract with a sour expression.
“Hyun Young.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
“Is this truly the right……”
“This is Chung Myung’s work. As if he’d let it fail. Just stamp it already.”
“Grrr……”
As Hyun Jong stared down at the contract, sorrow clouded his face.
They had snatched another sect’s Sect Leader’s Token and set this whole thing in motion, and now even all of Mount Hua was being dragged into it.
Can I really trust these people?
In the past, Hyun Jong had believed Hyun Young and Chung Myung so completely that if they’d told him a dragon had ascended from a well, he would have nodded along without question. But now, doubt clung to everything they said.
“Grrr……”
Letting out a pained groan, he reluctantly stamped both copies and handed them over.
“Let’s do our best.”
“Of course.”
Hwang Jong-ui and Chung Myung clasped hands.
Until the contract was signed, they had been enemies. Once the contract existed, they were comrades walking the same road. Both of them knew that better than anyone.
“For this to succeed, managing the Ghost Sect is essential.”
“Don’t worry. I was planning to go there personally anyway.”
“Oh.”
Delighted by the welcome sound, Hwang Jong-ui nodded vigorously.
“If you do that, I won’t ask for anything more. Though, Young Sect Leader, will you truly be all right? You must be busy.”
“It’s fine. Conveniently enough, the Ghost Sect is near Sichuan. I was planning to stop by Sichuan anyway.”
“Sichuan?”
Hwang Jong-ui tilted his head, and Chung Myung shrugged.
“Yeah. I’ve got something to take care of with the Tang Family.”
“Pardon?”
Hwang Jong-ui asked blankly.
“Why the Tang Family?”
The disciples of Mount Hua had gathered behind the Sect Leader’s quarters.
This was Mount Hua too, so there was no reason Mount Hua’s disciples couldn’t gather here. What was strange, however, was that every one of them had come carrying a shovel.
Yoon Jong asked Baek Cheon,
“Sasuk.”
“……What?”
“Why did he tell us to bring shovels?”
“How should I know? He’s probably going to make us do something absurd again.”
The two of them sighed heavily as they looked at each other.
By now, they didn’t even feel resistance or suspicion no matter what Chung Myung ordered them to do. If it had been anyone else, they would have asked out of sheer disbelief.
“But he called us out here and now Chung Myung isn’t even…… ah, there he is.”
Far off, Chung Myung could be seen striding toward them.
“Everyone here?”
“Yeah. But why are we here? And what are the shovels for?”
“Why are you asking something so obvious? What do people use shovels for?”
“Digging?”
“Good, you know it.”
Chung Myung jerked his chin toward the little mound rising behind the Sect Leader’s quarters.
“Break it.”
“……”
Everyone’s gaze turned at once to the mound.
Silence fell for a moment.
Break what?
That mountain?
No, surely not.
Their expressions—bewilderment, shock, and fear all mixed together—swung back to Chung Myung in unison.
“……What did you say?”
“Break it.”
“……Break what?”
“What, are you all deaf? That thing. That thing! That mountain!”
“……”
In the end, Baek Cheon stared at the furious Chung Myung with a face gone pale.
“Chung Myung.”
“What?”
“That’s a mountain.”
“I know. I told you. It’s a mountain.”
“……”
No, you lunatic!
Why in the world would you suddenly tell us to break a perfectly good mountain?
“……I’m not sure whether my head is wrong or yours is…… no, no. Yours is the one that’s wrong.”
That much was certain.
“Why are you suddenly telling us to break it?”
“Because I want to dig out what’s underneath.”
“Underneath? What’s underneath that…….”
Baek Cheon’s pupils shook violently.
Come to think of it?
As soon as he pictured it in his mind, he knew what lay beneath that mound. Mount Hua’s vault—meaning…….
“The Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron vault?”
“Yeah.”
“Wh-what are you going to do if you dig it out?”
What kind of trouble are you planning now, damn it?
“I’m taking it to the Tang Family.”
Baek Cheon tilted his head in utter incomprehension.
“You’re taking the vault to the Tang Family? For renovation or something?”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Sometimes you should try using that head of yours, Dong-ryong.”
“You bastard!”
Baek Cheon bristled and was about to charge forward, but Yoon Jong and Jo Gul smoothly linked their arms through his and held him back.
“Please stay still, Sasuk.”
“Why are you getting worked up like this? This happens all the time.”
“Let go! You aren’t letting go?”
Baek Cheon’s eyes flashed, but the arms restraining him were as solid as iron locks. Chung Myung clicked his tongue.
“What, you’re going to charge at me? With a wooden sword?”
“……”
Baek Cheon looked down at the wooden sword hanging from his waist. Then he silently averted his eyes and went still.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
Chung Myung clicked his tongue and went on.
“This is all for the sake of the senior brothers.”
“……What did you say?”
“You senior brothers keep breaking your swords because you’re all too damn weak. Then when you run into a real master, your sword gets sent flying in one shot and your head gets chopped off.”
“……”
“So!”
Chung Myung’s eyes shone a fierce blue.
“The easiest solution is to make a sword that’ll never break in the first place! We dig that thing up, take it to the Tang Family, and ask them to forge us swords out of it!”
“……Forge what?”
“Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron swords.”
Chung Myung said it flatly.
“If someone manages to cut through those too, then they should just die. Nothing to feel wronged about.”
“……”
Baek Cheon stared at him with his mouth hanging open, unable to find a single word.
After a long while, he finally asked in a trembling voice,
“S-so you’re saying you want to dig up the sect’s vault and use it to make swords?”
“Yep.”
“……”
He didn’t even have the will to argue. He couldn’t even tell where to begin.
Just as he was trying to figure out how on earth to sum up this situation…….
“Oh? Then does that mean we’ll each get a Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron sword?”
At Jo Gul’s words, everyone turned to stare at him.
“Those things are insanely expensive. Even most sect elders can’t even dream of them.”
“……Come to think of it…….”
Even a sword mixed with just a little Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron was treated like a treasure. And yet…….
That vault was that big!
It’s bigger than Mount Wudang’s!
The disciples of Mount Hua exchanged looks with one another.
“W-wait, guys…….”
“Dig!”
“Break it!”
Jo Gul was the first to grab a shovel and charge forward with heroic enthusiasm. The others followed with thunderous shouts.
“Keep your spacing! We’re finishing this in one go!”
“We’re done by tonight!”
“Stop wasting time talking and dig one more shovel-full! Save your back for after we’re finished!”
“Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron swords! Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron Plum Blossom Swords!”
“Ooooooooh!”
As Mount Hua’s disciples shoveled away with wild, crazed eyes, a massive cloud of dust rose behind them.
“……”
Meanwhile, cold sweat began to bead on Baek Cheon’s forehead as he watched.
Then Chung Myung came up beside him and tilted his head.
“What are you doing?”
“Huh?”
“You break the most swords, Sasuk. If you’re still standing around here, what are you doing? Hurry up and dig.”
“……”
Baek Cheon opened and closed his mouth several times before finally asking,
“I-is this really all right? A swordsman shouldn’t be so attached to his sword…….”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Huh?”
“If you go on spouting garbage like that and your sword snaps and you die, do you think anyone’s going to praise you for it? That’s what losers say because they’re jealous of people with good gear! Equipment should always be as good as possible! If your skill falls short, then at least your weapon shouldn’t!”
“……”
“Quit talking and go dig!”
“Yes, sir!”
Watching the mountain where dust clouds now rose in billowing heaps, Chung Myung curled his lips in satisfaction.
“What good is a vault if there’s nothing worth storing in it?”
It ought to be used where it mattered!
Am I right, Sect Leader Sasuk?
- Exactly! This time you did well!
Huh?
What’s this—why are you being positive today?
Well, now.